Luthorians
Luthorians (or Luthoren in Utagian) are by far the principal ethnic group of the Holy Luthori Empire. Unlike most ethnic groups which have migrated throughout their history, the Luthorians have lived in the area known as Luthori for thousands of years and on the contrary, Luthori has served as the point of origin for many migrations; Mordusians and Deltarians among others most probably originated as Luthorians who then migrated to their respective continents (Seleya and Majatra). The Luthorian ethnic group has played an extremely important part in history because nearly all inhabitants of Luthori are members of said group and Luthori has had a tremendous impact, notably as the first and largest colonial empire. Ancestry The Luthorians per se are ethnically similar to other neighbouring ethnicites such as the Darnussians and the Dundorfians, with whom they share common ancestors, who were among the first humans in Artania. This common ancestrz is specificallz pronounced in Utagians, who are even more similar to Dundorfians than other Luthorians and share an almost identical tongue with their northern cousins. History Due to great ethnic and genetic similarities with other southern and central Artanian ethnic groups, the beginning of the Luthorian ethnic group can be traced to around 400 AD, when the area now known as Luthori was unified by the Rontin. The Rontin were ethnically very similar to the other inhabitants of Luthori but they were the first in the area to master animal husbandery and farming. They ruled the area for some 400 years, although their rule was very decentralized. From roughly 800 AD to 1100 AD, "Luthori" was a motley collection of various baronies, duchies, earldoms and other fiefdoms. by the beginning of the 12th century, five principal realms had come to prominence, absorbing all the other fiefs in their region: Yodukan (home of the Rontin), Utagia, Tinako, Geharon and Orange (then called Agathion). Utagia was the most powerful fief and its king, Harold, managed to conquer the other four, becoming the first Luthori Emperor. From 1250 AD, date of the corronation of Harrold I, "Luthori" has continously been ruled as a whole, even though there again, said rule was very decentralized. It is to note that the Empire did not become known as "Luthori" until the 16th century, when the country converted to Martyn Luthor's form of reform Christianity. Those who had until then been "reformers" became "Luthorians". The distinction between Luthorian as a noun and adjective to refer to Luthori and Lutheran to refer to a follower of Martyn Luthor was made only very late in Luthori's history around 2000 AD, because it was assumed that every Luthorian was a Lutheran. Even though the distinction now exists gramatically, it is still assumed that all Luthorians are Lutheran (and the reality is only slightly different, 95% of Luthorians are officially Lutherans). Luthorians have at all times undertaken colonial ventures. The continent of Dovani is named after Christopher Dove, its Luthorian discover and the country of Hutori is named after Sir John Hutor, another Luthorian navigator. Luthorians established vast colonial domains in Dovani (Hulstria, Kazulia). These colonies eventually rebelled, marking the end of the First Colonial Empire. However, said empire had enriched Luthori greatly and it stood as one of the most powerful empires in Terra. Throughout the 3rd millenium, Luthori reconstituted a much larger colonial empire, colonizing Namviet, Squibble and other parts of Dovani. Culture and Traits Luthorians have developed a very unique culture over the almost 2000 years of their country's existence. To begin, the concept of democracy is completely foreign to Luthorians. The idea that the ruler holds legitimacy only by the will of his people is considered absurd. The Luthorian Emperor has always claimed divine right and the Luthorian people in their immense majority have accepted that as fact, which has caused Luthori to remain in many ways a feudal system (although the official appelation is "aristocratic monarchy"). That is not to say that the concept of elections is foreign. Luthorians have long voted for their representatives but their power always was (and still is) limited. Traditionally, they used to share power with the extremely powerful nobility but in recent times, the monarch's powers have increased at the expense of that of the representatives. Luthorians are on average much more religious than other Terrans, which is partially reflected yb the fact that the very term "Luthorian" originally meant "follower of the reformed Christian doctrine of Dr Martyn Luthor". The average Luthorian attends religious services often and gives a large amount to the Church for charity. The Church and monarchy have always allied themselves in making sure that very strict Lutheran (almost puritain) morals prevail on Luthorian society. Luthorians also have a difficult relationship with other faiths, all of which were persecuted in the past. Nowadays, religious freedom is theoretically guaranteed in the Common Bill of Rights, however, the government retains the right to decide what exactly constitutes a recognized religion. Monarchic or aristocratic government combined with extreme religious devotion has produced a people which is very conservative, reserved and formal and that has a very high opinion of itself and not so much of others. Even though Luthori has traditionally had many strong allies, the common Luthorian conception is that being Luthorian is a privilege and being ruled by a Luthorian is the next best thing. Some people such as the Aldurians, Narikatonites, Zardics and Hulstrians (to name a few) are respected, usually for historical reasons. Others on the other hand, such as the Gao-Showans (with the notable exception of Indralans) or the Asli, are despised. Racism against these groups is rampant and considered perfectly normal. That being said, absolute hatred is reserved to socialists and communists. Both ideologies are banned in Luthori and considered devilish. Pysical Characteristics The only notable physical characteristic that affects a huge majority of Luthorians is very pale skin. Luthori, although characterized as having temperate, continental climate, is very rainy and when the sun does occasionally shine, it does not do so very brightly. However, it is said that the one other way it is immediately possible to recognize a Luthorian is through his speech. There are a wide variety of accents in Luthori, most of which are associated with social class or geographical situation.